Hesiod (flourished c. 8th century BCE)
“Inferiority can be got in droves, easily: the road is smooth, and she lives very near. But in front of Superiority the immortal gods set sweat; it is a long and steep path to her, and rough at first. But when one reaches the top, then it is easy, for all the difficulty”
- From Hesiod’s Works and Days (approximately line 289), translated by M. L. West (Oxford World Classics, 1988, 1999, 2008).
